Baby

Tegan “Baby” Josephine Ingram

THE INTERVIEW

It was a balmy day with a slightly overcast tint to the ominous-looking sky.

It might rain, or it might snow if the temperature dropped just a little more.

When I left the house this morning, I threw on a cropped leather jacket with my ripped jeans.

A pair of thigh-high leather boots would ensure that I would not get cold, but my yellow and pink, body-hugging, short-sleeved couture blouse would ensure that I would not get too hot.

The sound of table saws and circular saws ripped the air and created harmonious music in my soul.

Others might have found the sound disconcerting, but not me.

It was music to my ears and the sound of progress and accomplishment.

The aromatic scent of sawdust blended with the fragrance of my Jimmy Choo perfume nicely.

I smiled at the dark-skinned man with the chiseled features and sharp gray eyes that saw everything and missed nothing. He ran a hand over his bald head again, and I had noticed it was a nervous habit that he held.

“Sorry about that.” I apologized when the saws got a little bit too loud and drowned out my voice.

I was a soft-spoken woman, and it was easy to miss the words that I said on a good day, let alone with loud noises all around.

Because my gentle spirit and harmonious nature drew people in, I never felt the need to shout or be loud.

“It’s okay.”

“I thought about holding interviews at the coffee shop down the block, but I preferred to have them here so that my applicants could get a feel of my vibe. It also allows me to see how you fit into the environment, even though it is still under construction.”

He smiled and bobbed his head. “I like that. Harmony.”

“Exactly. So, Javar, why did you pursue baking?”

“It has always been my first love, and it was the way I connected with my father. He was a professional baker, and you would think that he would get tired of it on the weekends or after work.” He chuckled and shook his head with a nostalgic look in his eyes before he finished.

“He never did. He used it as his way to forge a connection with his kids, especially at the holidays. My siblings do it during the holidays, but I do it always to stay connected with him.”

My heart filled with compassion and sympathy. “If you don’t mind me asking, is he deceased?”

“No, but as I stated before, I’ve been in prison for the last two years, and it was my way of remaining connected with him when I couldn’t physically be with him. It’s our expression of love and communication with each other without words.”

My heart squeezed just a tiny bit as I smiled back at him. His words touched my heart, because I understood the meaning of connection through baking. For me, it was my paternal grandmother, Cindy.

“I love that for you, and yes, I did see your record when your background check came through.”

“Yet, you still gave me the honor of an interview.”

“You’re gifted, and your résumé speaks for itself, Javar. I’m creating something different at Baby Got Buns, so I don’t move the way the world says I should move. What goes into producing an even bake?” I asked, moving forward with the interview.

I listened to his responses vaguely, but I was more focused on the energy between us.

I had worked with a world-renowned chef before, stood in the kitchen elbow deep with some award-winning pastry chefs and bakers.

The magic didn’t happen by skill and résumé alone; it was about the connection and chemistry of the staff.

My experience with my last job made me vow never to work with a team of people that I didn’t vibe with. Some skills could be taught, but connection and respect could never be faked, and chemistry couldn’t be performed. It either was, or it wasn’t, and there were no two ways about it.

“Do you have any experience with gluten-free or vegan diets?” I asked, glancing at the list of questions I had lazily scribbled on a napkin. I knew that it would be a relaxed interview process, but I knew that I still had to have some questions to ask pertaining to the job.

He answered that question just as my best friend, Palmer, stepped through the door, looking so cute in her baby-blue velour Gucci jogging suit.

She’d paired it with a pair of high-heeled boots, and the outfit highlighted her curves.

Her naturally curly hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, and her hazelnut-brown face was beat. She was so beautiful.

I held up a finger to let her know that I would be with her soon, and she moved on to flirt with a construction worker, as was her habit. Within five minutes, I wrapped up my interview with Javar.

When I stood to shake his hand, he smiled politely at me, but I saw the resignation in his eyes.

He struggled not to shut off and disconnect from me, and I knew that it was because of his record.

The man had become accustomed to rejection, and I was not about to add to that list. I really liked him, and we got along well.

I didn’t grow up in the hood, but my father had, and I wasn’t a stranger to the struggles that it brought. He often told stories of my uncles, some cousins, and other family friends who had spent time in prison and the impact it had on their lives afterward.

I smiled at Javar and shook his hand heartily. “Thank you for interviewing with me, Javar. Welcome to Baby Got Buns.”

“I’m sorry? I don’t understand.” He shook his head in confusion.

“You, sir, are my newest baker and my first official hire; that’s if you want the job.”

His eyebrows rose in comical fashion, his jaw dropped, and a smile broke out on his face. For the first time since the entire interview, I saw his shoulders visibly relax, and I felt the vibrant energy that I sensed underneath his humble demeanor, come through in waves.

“Are you serious, Ms. Tegan?”

“I don’t play when it comes to business. The job is yours, if you want it.”

He had been in prison for assault and battery, and I was familiar with the case because it made local headlines.

He had stumbled upon a man mugging a woman, and he had intervened.

Where it had gone wrong was that he had beaten the man so badly that the man’s face was unrecognizable.

He hadn’t stopped at just stopping the man’s assault on the woman, and that was what had gotten him sentenced to prison.

With good behavior, he had been released early.

“Thank you so much, Ms. Tegan. I promise that you won’t regret your decision.”

I went over a few things with him and then rushed over to Palmer. “Hey, boo.”

“Hey, Baby. How’s putting your dream team together going?” My best friend greeted me by the nickname that everyone called me. I had been called Baby instead of Tegan by all my family and friends since I was a baby.

It started when my oldest brother, Eric Jr., whom we called EJ, couldn’t pronounce my name when I was born.

He was three going on four, and he started calling me “Baby” instead of Tegan because I was a baby.

Ethan, the youngest of my two brothers, was two going on three, and he already had a speech impediment.

It was easier for him to call me “Baby,” too, and even after they could speak well, they continued with “Baby.” It kind of stuck with my parents and other relatives, and I became known as “Baby” to all our family and friends, even my childhood and now adult friends referred to me as “Baby.”

“I have everyone in place except for my cake decorator.”

“Including your baker?”

“That’s who you just saw walk out the door. I haven’t officially hired the others, but I know that I will.”

“Niiicee. Do you have any applicants for the cake decorator?”

“I’ve interviewed a few, but there’s one who I’m supposed to be interviewing in a little while that has me torn. I know her work, so I want to automatically offer the position to her. Unfortunately, it’s because I know her that has me on the fence.”

“I’m not following, friend. You’re talking in riddles.”

“Thérèse was the cake decorator at Seasoned.”

“Eww, messy, Baby.”

“Exactly, but she’s good at what she does. I mean, the woman has defined the game, been on several shows, and won awards. I know she would be the shit.”

“Except there’s that little messy situation of the past.”

“Exactly.”

The last place that I worked at, Seasoned, an upscale restaurant inside of a prestigious hotel, became uncomfortable and hostile.

The head chef made several unwanted passes at me.

I turned him down repeatedly, but he never seemed to get the hint.

When he finally did, he made life a living hell for me by constantly downplaying my talents, sending my desserts back to redo, and just generally humiliating me in front of others.

He gave me all the crappy shifts. I would go home in tears after working a shift underneath his vigilant gaze.

Someone started a rumor that the chef and I were messing around.

Most of them didn’t care for me anyway because they always thought Chef Richard, pronounced with the French pronunciation, ree-Shar, favored me over everyone else.

Eventually, the restaurant manager caught wind of it, and he fired me for one too many screwups, according to Chef Richard, and for bringing too much negative attention to his restaurant.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

“I’m going to interview her. I’m just not sure that I should hire her.”

“Then why give her a chance at all?”

“Because she’s just that damn good, and to do anything else would be me acting funny.”

“Was she a part of the rumor mill back then?”

“I don’t know. For the most part, Thérèse stayed to herself as much as possible.”

“Well, I’m proud of how far you’ve come since that incident. Even when you were fired, you were strong and started your online baking shop. Now look at you with a whole bakery in these streets. You’re doing amazing, friend.”

She hugged me, and I hugged her back and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, friend. It’s by the grace of God that I survived and am now opening my own bakery. I am worried about what would happen if things don’t go well and the community doesn’t support it, though.”

Palmer swatted my hands and scowled at me. “Stop worrying about things like that. You can’t afford to put negative energy in the air.”

“I know. Hey, why don’t you sit in on the interview and give me your opinion on Thérèse?”

“Got you, boo.”

When Thérèse Maxwell arrived a few minutes later, I greeted and welcomed her. Palmer asked some basic introductory questions, but I didn’t test her skills. I didn’t need to.

“Thérèse, why are you leaving Seasoned for a small, independent bakery like mine that isn’t even established yet?”

The older, light, brown-skinned woman, with the patch of gray on the left side of her head, smiled patiently at me as though she were about to explain something to a child, but that was just Thérèse’s manner.

“I chose to leave Seasoned because things were uncomfortable and becoming too hostile. People were losing their jobs left and right as Richard found ways and reasons to replace them over the last year. When they let you go, nothing was ever the same. It impacted morale, and it’s only gotten worse as we’ve gone along.

He’s in a similar situation, harassing the woman who was hired to replace you.

“The problem is that the new restaurant manager is Chef Richard’s wife.

She’s still stinging from the allegations of his infidelity with you, and she complains about everyone who was there when you were.

It’s like she’s trying to erase everyone who was there back then, because she feels insecure, and she’s trying to hire new staff of her choosing.

It’s a constant back and forth tug-of-war between him and his wife, and it’s an uncomfortable place to be.

“Either way, they have taken the joy out of something that most of us are passionate about. There is talk about removing the bakery portion of Seasoned altogether. I want to work with someone who loves what they do, brings passion to the kitchen, and desires to make every experience for their patrons a delight. I don’t find that there anymore. ”

“Have you resigned?”

“I’ll give my resignation as soon as I find a new job. I’ll be honest with you; I haven’t applied for anyplace else. I don’t want to work for just anyone, Tegan, nor do I want to work with just anyone. If that were the case, I would remain where I am.

“The reason I came to Baby Got Buns is because I know you’re operating this bakery, and that alone speaks for itself. Despite what happened at Seasoned, you have an excellent reputation. You always had a positive spirit and a peaceful heart.”

“Thank you.”

“Those words are honest; this isn’t about flattery to get a job.

I would be honored to work with you again, and to have the chance to help Baby Got Buns gain the reputation it deserves through creating experiences and cakes that surpass your patrons’ wildest dreams. I know I can, and I believe you have what it takes to set the bar at a higher level for this industry.

I want to be on the road to your journey to success, championing you all the way. ”

“Thank you, Thérèse. What you’ve said today means a lot to me.

Like I said before, there is no reason to give you a formal interview or test your skills, because I’m already familiar with them.

I do have three other cake decorators on the schedule for today, though, and I would like to give them the honor and respect of going through their interview process before I finalize my decision.

You will be hearing from me very soon,” I declared with a smile and stood.

I hoped that my skepticism about hiring Thérèse didn’t show through my smile or my attitude.

It was genuinely a pleasure seeing her again, but I was nervous about moving in her direction.

I didn’t want to draw the same energy I had escaped from.

Leaving Seasoned behind also meant leaving everyone affiliated with that place behind.

Yet, Thérèse was extremely talented, super smart, kind, and she often radiated positive energy in most situations in the past.

When I reached my hand out to shake hers, she pulled me into a big hug instead.

When she released me, she smiled and looked at Palmer and then back at me. “Thank you both for your time today. I hope that I will be hearing good news from you soon and will become a part of your growing family. If not, Tegan, I still wish you all the best.”

I nodded and smiled and walked her to the door. When I returned, Palmer wore a hesitant smile of her own that displayed her teeth.

“I’m skeptical, and as much as I adored Thérèse in the past, I don’t want to bring the Seasoned energy into this space.”

“I didn’t get negative energy from her, friend. I think you might be scarred from your past with them and trusting them, but you’ll have to make your own decision.”

She was right. I knew that I needed to pray on it before making a decision about Thérèse.